Of Fire and Darkness
by Tigerglomp
Summary: The young angel Aquila has just been turned into a demon. He's traveling in the company of someone who is surely insane and he's having trouble remembering what happened to him before this. A tale of Sebastian's past.
1. Confusion

**Unfortunately, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I think everyone here would like to, but we sadly do not. **

**Also, this is the story of Sebastian's past, so no Ciel. I'm also calling him Aquila, which means Eagle in Latin. **

Confusion

_Summary: The pain could not be compared to fire. Fire was something good, something pleasant. Fire was his brother. This felt like his stomach was tearing itself apart with its own acid._

In the middle of the desert was a man. Or a man shape, anyway. The man opened his eyes a tiny bit, and recoiled with a hand over his face. Shading his face in shadow with one hand, the man searched for this strange, blinding invader, before realizing that it was sunlight. _Impossible!_ He thought. _Sunlight is warm, and kind, and…bad. _The thought invaded like a virus. Sunlight=bad. What? The man shook his head. There would be time to dwell on that later. Next on the list of thoughts scrolling through his brain: why did his back hurt so much? He felt winded, as if he'd fallen flat on his back. But from where? There were no rocks to fall off of, and the sand was rather soft. Odd.

Still shading his eyes, the man sat up and looked around. His back was in pain. Lots of pain. Wincing, the man put his hand over his shoulder, to assure himself that he wasn't seriously injured. To feel the comforting softness of his wing feathers. The man froze when his fingers brushed the area between his shoulder blades, where glorious white wings should have been. Nothing was there but the smooth fabric of his battle robes.

The man's breath came in short gasps. _This cannot be. My wings!_ He racked his brain to think of what had happened, but could only remember snippets.

_Everyone was sorry for Tsala. One of her two sons had turned to darkness. Not even three decades old, and he had Fallen. But the other, Aquila, stuck close to his mother's side, comforting her. He was a promising angel, always with his holy rapier by his side. Ever since his brother had left, the threat of attack was imminent…_

_Snippets. Snippets of memory, the man that was Aquila tried to piece them together to make a whole memory. He remembered a battle, and he remembered seeing his brother and his followers on the other side, the attackers. The demons. Aquila remembered that he hesitated when his brother faced him head on. They had stood there, eye to eye, for an entire minute. Green eyes staring into vermillion. And Aquila couldn't do it. How could he kill his own brother? And another angel stepped forward, to do the deed he couldn't do…_

_But what? What had happened afterwards? Why was he flat on his back, wingless, confused? _

And then Aquila became aware that he was in pain. Agonizing, fiery pain. No, not like fire. The pain could not be compared to fire. Fire was something good, something pleasant. Fire was his brother. This felt like his stomach was tearing itself apart with its own acid. He was hungry. No, that wasn't right either. He was past that. Long past famished, long past starving. _Ravenous, _his mind whispered. That's it. He was completely and utterly ravenous. _Calm down, _Aquila told his stomach. _I'll eat something soon. _And as if in answer, the pain dulled, appeased by the prospect of food. But where to find it in the desert? Aquila set off at a brisk walk in a random direction.

"Oi! You there!" a voice hailed him, after Aquila had been walking for what seemed like an hour. He looked around, and spied a man dressed in black sauntering his way toward him. Aquila's eyes narrowed as the man drew closer. He had black nails.

"You lost, mon chou?" the man asked.  
>Aquila snarled in answer. He didn't know why this demon was addressing him in such a casual manner, nor why he was calling Aquila his cabbage. For starters, he wasn't green. He was also mildly surprised at the feral sound that had come out of his mouth.<p>

The demon held up his hands. "Woah there, brother. Just being, ah, friendly. Haven't seen you around before, so I thought I'd help you out."

"I am _not _your _brother_," Aquila growled, crouching for attack. "And why should you be friendly to an angel?"

The demon looked puzzled. "Pardon? What angel?"

"Me, you idiot!" Aquila snapped. "Who else could there be?"

The demon relaxed. "Ah, not figured things out yet, have you?" he winked cheerily. "I'd take a look at my nails, if I were you."

"There's nothing wrong with my—" Aquila glanced down and cut his sentence short. Cautiously, as if it might cause an explosion, he poked at one glossy black fingernail.

"I take it by your horrified silence that you have only recently woken up?" The demon—the _other_ demon—Aquila thought with a shudder, said the sentence so politely it was insulting.

"Look, this is all happening way too fast…" Aquila began.

"That's what she said," the other demon snorted with laughter.

Aquila frowned, irritated. This guy really got on his nerves. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Asmodeus," the other demon said, his hair turning an interestingly vivid shade of pink. "Patron of Lust. And who are you, tirraloo?"

"Aquila!" Aquila replied with another snarl.

"Well then, Aquila," Asmodeus grinned. "I don't suppose you've eaten yet, have you?"

Aquila opened his mouth to reply that there was no way he was going to eat whatever disgusting thing a demon ate, but his stomach renewed its assault against him. It was like the thing was holding a grudge. He tried to close his mouth again quietly, but a whimper of pain escaped and betrayed him.

"What do you eat?" he asked Asmodeus carefully.

"All in good time, little wild one, all in good time," Asmodeus replied. Aquila was rather suspicious of that answer, but his stomach left him with no choice. He followed the demon over the sands.


	2. Tree of Life

**Unfortunately, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I think everyone here would like to, but we sadly do not. **

**Also, this is the story of Sebastian's past, so no Ciel. I'm also calling him Aquila, which means Eagle in Latin. In this chapter, I'm going with the idea that there's more than three or four humans on Earth.**

Tree of Life

_Summary: "On second thought, I'm not hungry," Aquila backed away hurriedly. He couldn't possibly do that. No way._

The two demons paused on the edge of the desert, before crossing into a wide savannah. Oryx galloped by in their herds, and Aquila was surprised that they didn't appeal to him as food. In front of him, Asmodeus lifted his head and sniffed the air.

"Smell that, mon ami?" he asked. Aquila carefully took in a tiny whiff. Carried faintly on the wind was the smell of something sweet and delicious. His stomach clamored at him, craving this sweet-smelling thing. Aquila felt his eyes shift, the pupils narrowing to slits and the rest glowing bright, light red. Instinctively, he dropped into a hunting crouch, balancing gently on the balls of his feet.

"Bit early to be doing that, mate," Asmodeus cautioned. "You have to get closer first." The elder demon led the way, running on his toes like a cat. Aquila copied him, all thoughts narrowed down to one_: Food. Food to stop this pain_.

They had only been running for a few minutes when they came across a human village. A few poorly constructed huts were arranged in an orderly fashion. A few young women had meat cooking over a communal fire. Children ran around and played a game that was known only to them.

"You aren't suggesting we steal?" Aquila shot an appalled glance at Asmodeus, but the demon wasn't paying attention. He was watching two men leaving the group of huts with slings and stones in their hand. In that instant, Aquila remembered another bit of memory.

_"Oh, you don't want to hear that story. It'll give you nightmares," Tsala chided her children. The two young angels nodded with excitement. Scary bedtime stories were their favorite.  
>"Alright, fine!" Tsala held up her hands in mock surrender. "Legend tells of what would happen to an angel that falls into darkness," she began. "They become demons, monsters that exist only to feed on humans. They have many names-akuma, hellfiend-but they are known far and wide as...the soul-eaters!"<br>The short story sent chills up the young angels' spines. "Do any exist?" asked the older one.  
>"Of course not, Lucifer," Tsala replied, smoothing his red hair back on his brow. "There are no demons."<em>

Aquila's breathing stopped. _No, _he thought. _No way. _"On second thought, I'm not hungry," Aquila backed away hurriedly. He couldn't possibly do that. _No way_.

Asmodeus gave him an almost pitiable look. "Just let instinct do its job, little wild one."

Aquila wanted to scream at the elder demon that there was no way he could do that. He wanted to shout that he'd rather die. But he wasn't sure if he _could _die. And his stomach was attacking again, craving something to dull the acidic pain.

Shakily, Aquila closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, and that sweet smell washed over him again. Through vermillion eyes the demon hunted, watching the two young men part ways and go in different directions, searching for their food. The demon that was Aquila crept onto a rock, watching one of the men come towards him, a deer unaware of the panther. Any real deer that wished to survive would have stopped and scented the air for danger. But this was a human, and their noses were not nearly as advanced. But they had other senses as well. As if he detected the presence of a creature of fire and darkness, the man glanced over his shoulder. A sudden wind had sent chills through him that had nothing to do with the chilly breeze, though he didn't know why. Shaking off the feeling, the man continued.

High on the rock, the demon began to purr with anticipation. _Closer, foolish human. You think you are the hunter, when you are the hunted. You think yourself a predator, when you are my prey._

The man stopped in the shadow of the rock, stealing a moment's respite from the blazing sun. The demon pounced, sinking his razor fangs into the man's neck, feeding on his blood and soul. The man gurgled, too late to scream. The demon devoured his soul with purrs of happiness, its stomach relinquishing the siege. Aquila regained control of his own mind, and sank into the blissful taste of innocence and bravery. This was the fruit of the Tree of Life, the human soul.

His stomach retreated from being ravenous, and now it felt like someone was digging knives into its lining. "I'm still starving," Aquila told Asmodeus with a puzzled look on his face. Blood dripped from his elongated canines, and without thinking, he licked them clean.

"Ah, I'm afraid we are always starving, little wild one," Asmodeus sighed. "No amount of feeding will change that. It will dull the pain for only a little while, before returning. You should only feed if you are ravenous."

"Now what?" Aquila asked Asmodeus.

"You should come and meet the others," the elder demon answered. "I expect that you haven't seen your own brother since that day."

**Whoo yay chapter 2! Please read and review, plot ideas welcome!**


	3. Memory

**Unfortunately, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I think everyone here would like to, but we sadly do not. **

**Also, this is the story of Sebastian's past, so no Ciel. I'm also calling him Aquila, which means Eagle in Latin. Short chappie this time, i promise the next one will be longer.**

Memory

Aquila considered Asmodeus' words. "you haven't seen your brother since that day..." What exactly had happened on that day? He knew that it was the one day that would set in motion a terrible chain reaction...

_Aquila looks through the beautiful forest. Somewhere, he can hear the laughter of the humans. But where were they?  
>He rounds a bend in the trees and gasps in horror. Before him, they are killing the forest. It's burning. The humans are burning Eden!<em>

_"NO!" Aquila shouts to them. "NO! STOP! You can't do that to Eden! No, someone stop them! They're burning it! It's burning!"_

_Aquila gasps, and sits up in bed, his heart hammering. Beside him stands his brother, with a look of anger upon his face. In an instant, Aquila realizes what he is going to do. He said as much the first time Aquila had the Sight dream._

_"I'm going down there, Aquila," his brother says with a hollow voice. "And I don't care what happens. I'm not coming back."_

_"No, brother, don't..." Aquila pleads. "It was only a dream. Don't go." Aquila's voice becomes a shriek as his brother walks away, towards the door. "No, brother! Don't go! Lucifer, come back!"_

_But he never did. A few days afterwards, six of his brother's friends left, too. And Aquila heard the stories. His brother, the red-headed angel man of 29. The brother that had showed such promise and talent among the angels. He had been well loved by all, but now...the angels voiced the terrible tale told to children: Lucifer was a demon, an angel Fallen into darkness. _

Aquila was caught up in a wave of memory, and he remembered something else...

_There had been a girl, with reddish-blond hair and laughing green eyes. She would get up and dance, and then look over her shoulder at someone behind her, asking whoever it was to dance with her. _

Who had that girl been? And what had happened to her?

**Yeah I know, it was a short chapter. But please review this snippet of Aquila's (Sebastian's) memory! (You didn't think I'd reveal it all in one chapter, did you?)**


	4. Meeting

**Unfortunately, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I think everyone here would like to, but we sadly do not. **

**Also, this is the story of Sebastian's past, so no Ciel. I'm also calling him Aquila, which means Eagle in Latin. **

Meeting

_Summary: "It's pink."_

Asmodeus led Aquila through the desert, to a small oasis amid the blowing wind and shifting sands. "This is our temporary camp," the elder demon explained. "We're working on a safe haven for all of us. The portal's up and running, but there isn't much there besides raw darkness and weird animals."

The trees sheltered a large pool of water with their spreading limbs. Aquila looked down into the still surface. He could see his reflection, a thin, tall man with shoulder-length black hair and eyes of a shocking crimson color. Aquila's white robes clashed with the aura of darkness about his face, and they seemed to be limiting his movement. The long, flowing hem and sleeves were more suited for the aerodynamics of flying, offering air resistance for gliding, and flappy enough to throw off an attacker's aim. Aquila dimly remembered the battle, and how the demons jumped around like rabbits in tight-fitting outfits that were paired with their cat-like agility and speed.  
>Looking past the surface of the water, Aquila tried to see the bottom of the pool, but the water just got darker and fathomless as it plunged into the earth's crust. "What's down there?" Aquila asked, irresistibly drawn to the quiet darkness of the oasis.<p>

In answer, Asmodeus plunged into the pool with barely a ripple, parting the water with the sleek smoothness of an otter. "Hey!" Aquila cried in alarm. "Where are you going?" Asmodeus continued to swim down into the deep. Aquila hesitated a moment, and then dove in with all the grace of a giraffe on stilts.  
>Opening his eyes underwater, Aquila was momentarily distracted by the clarity of his vision. The rock lining of the pool was sharply outlined, and the minnows swimming around him could be counted and identified by individuals. Aquila tore his gaze away from looking and followed Asmodeus' bubble trail into the depths.<br>The trail vanished into a side tunnel into the rock, and Aquila wound his way through on a twisting journey upward. Finally, he broke the surface of the water and emerged into an underground cavern with tunnels in all directions. A black snake was lounging a few yards away. It gave him a Look of boredom, and then transformed into Asmodeus. "Took you long enough, little one," the other demon yawned, revealing his disturbingly pointy teeth.

"Stop calling me that," Aquila growled in response.

"Charming," Asmodeus smiled patronizingly, and whipped around once more. "Now, your brother is probably still running errands. He won't be back til lat-"

A massive screech of fury emitted from a nearby tunnel and reverberated off the walls, contradicting the other demon's words. It appeared that Aquila's brother had returned early, and was not pleased. "Asmodeuuuuuuuuuss!" the voice snarled. "Get in here _right now_!"

Asmodeus chuckled, unperturbed. "Honestly, he sounds like my mother..." the other demon moved down the tunnel. Aquila followed, rather nervously. In the next room, a demon with a crazed look in his eyes was twitching with anger. He was dressed in black robes lined with a deep purple color, and boots that appeared to serve double duty as weapons. From his back sprouted two massive, leathery wings, black with streaks of red. The demon was flapping them around like a harpy in a hailstorm and spitting fire, quite literally. Aquila's vision then zoomed out, and took in the room. Whoever had done interior decorating here was...Aquila let that thought trail off.

"Do you notice anything _unusual _about this room?" the mad demon asked, setting the shag carpet on fire, with some note of satisfaction.

"It's been redecorated?" Asmodeus shrugged. "Looks all right to me."

The demon screeched again, incinerating a wavy lampshade. "_ALL RIGHT? _Asmodeuuuuus, it's...it's..." Aquila's brother took a deep, shuddering breath. "It's pink." And what a shade of pink it was. Aquila was nearly blinded by the neon color. The carpet was pink and fuzzy, the chairs were pink with red polka dots and pastel purple lining, the tables were painted pink with the cheerful insanity of a madman who doesn't know he's mad, the lampshades were wavy and pink and striped with red, the ceiling was decorated with pink crepe paper and pink whirligigs, and someone had made a determined attempt to make the stone walls pink and cute.

"All right, so I added a few of my touches-" Asmodeus raised his hands, and then true fear came over him and he took a step back.

Flame roiled from the ground, turning the surrounding objects into white-hot ash. It curled around Aquila's brother in a massive sheet of fire, until the demon was nothing more than a black shadow with vermillion, slit-pupiled eyes amid the hellish scene. "_A FEW! RAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" _The devil could not seem to turn his wrath into words, and Asmodeus dropped into a kneeling crouch of submission.

Another demon hurried into the room, saw the fireball that was her leader, and dropped into the same crouch. Aquila decided that it must be a survival instinct. It looked like an elaborate display of loyalty, but he was pretty sure the two demons were cowering in terror. Strangely, Aquila did not feel the need to follow suit. He stood there and waited for his brother to calm down.

After a few minutes, the flame died to a flicker around the furious demon, and he quivered, seething quietly. When he spoke, it was in a quiet, cold tone of voice that laid the possible consequences of disobedience out in a neat and tidy row, and promised that the recipient would not like them. "Do not..._decorate_...ever again. Is that clear, Asmodeus?"

"Yes, my Lord!" Asmodeus replied, trying to make himself even smaller.

Aquila's brother turned to the other demon currently kneeling. "I would not like to be disturbed, Quis. Bring the matter to me later."

"Yes, your Majesty!" the demon answered, and scurried away.

Ignoring Asmodeus, Aquila's brother turned and faced him. The anger left his face, and Aquila saw that he was filled with sadness, and he was scared. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you, Aquila," Lucifer said quietly. "I know Maria meant a lot to you."

_Who was Maria? _Aquila thought wildly. _Could it be that girl I remember? And what did she mean to me, anyway?_

**Okay, tell me how you liked this chapter! I need some reviews, they are the food of writers. I was also slightly random when I came up with the demon Quis. Her name means Pineapple in Latin. **


	5. Portal to a New Life

**Unfortunately, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I think everyone here would like to, but we sadly do not. **

**Also, this is the story of Sebastian's past, so no Ciel. I'm also calling him Aquila, which means Eagle in Latin. Oh, and the Middle Northern Quadrant, East District, Zone 3, refers to Europe, specifically the eastern side, in the area of the eastern Mediterranean Sea.**

Portal to a New Life

_Summary: Bell blinked_,_ managed a tiny evil grin that was somehow extremely terrifying, and mumbled, "Mmfdeadweight."_

Aquila blinked back at his brother. He had a feeling that Lucifer's mood could go from affectionate to seething while in the middle of a sentence. Down to a letter, if conditions were right. Asmodeus seemed to figure largely in this problem. But as of right now, his brother's face was tired and scared, although the fear seemed to be fading. Aquila gave Lucifer a questioning look.

The red-haired demon took a shaky breath. "I thought they were going to kill you," he whispered. "It took all of my friends' combined strength to keep me on the ground. And maybe death would have been better. But that is what they want. They want us to despair, to seek out Death and thus exterminate ourselves." Lucifer's hair fell over his eyes as he looked down. He appeared a bit depressed. "They took away the things that we cling to, those emotions that enable us to forgive and forget. We are cursed with immortality and almost limitless power. Forever starving to death, and unable to die of it. No faith. No hope. No love. No mercy. No compassion."

Aquila could tell that Lucifer was trying to carry the pain of all the new demons by himself, trying to help them along by lightening their load. He was trying to comfort them, keep them safe from their friends and family, those who loved them one minute and cursed them to suffer for the rest of their lives the next. Mothers and fathers that shunned their children to suffering that could last thousands of years. No wonder the demons hated the angels. They had taken all that was good and kind from their lives, and had also created their own worst enemy.

"Why don't you show me around?" Aquila suggested gently, trying to pull his brother out of whatever darker place he had submerged into. "Your friends didn't know me very well other than a name."

Lucifer seemed to warm to the prospect, and chuckled dryly. "They all have peculiar tendencies now. It's a side effect of the Deadly Sin they are a patron of. Me, for example. I am Wrath and Pride. A nasty combination. I've learned never to put Envy and Greed within ten feet of each other. They were fighting over the chandeliers the other day..." Aquila's brother kept up a steady stream of chatter, probably to hear the sound of his voice. His other side was coming out.

Lucifer led Aquila down a narrow corridor that came out in a nicely furnished room. A girl with shoulder-length, dark violet hair was leaning against the opposite doorframe, making notes on a clipboard. Slightly inside the room was another girl dressed in a stylish black maid outfit. She appeared to be making a report.

"...the demon hounds are keeping the Ka out of the construction area, and that young Hades has been assigned to the Middle Northern Quadrant, East District, Zone 3. He's got his own special hound, one of those nice three-headed ones, I believe he's calling it Cerberus..." the maid was saying.

The purple-haired girl looked up and spotted Aquila and Lucifer. "Hey-o, Luke! Azzy's been bugging you again, hasn't he?" she asked sympathetically.

Lucifer nodded regretfully and grimaced. "He tried to decorate the parlor again. I incinerated a bit of it, but it will need a cleaning crew. He uses a rather stubborn paint for the walls..." Lucifer rubbed his forehead in irritation.

The girl waved at Aquila cheerfully. "Yo. My name's Leviathan, but please call me Vannessa or Tay-tay. _Mon, it is so not fair that you can wear that color green and pull it off!" _The purple-haired demoness added over her shoulder to a demon that had just walked into the room. He was wearing a deep green jacket and his hair was brown, giving him a rugged, laid-back feel around him. He seemed annoyed by Vannessa's statement. Frowning, he growled in annoyance and stalked right back out.

"That was Mammon, Patron of Greed. I'm Envy. Don't mind Mon, he's a bit stingy around me," Vannessa waved him away dismissively. "So, who are you?"

"Erm, I'm Aquila. I'm his brother," Aquila motioned to Lucifer, who seemed to have the nickname Luke.

"Hey, it's little Aqui!" Vannessa's face lit up. "I remember you! Oh, and here's Bell. Belphegor, say hello to Aquila!" she called to another female demon, one dressed in deep blue pajamas and black slippers.

Bell yawned and rubbed her eyes, padding forward to look sleepily at Aquila with her feline pupils. "Mmf, 'lo, Aqui. Wisshyshmfblorgzzzzka'meepPILLOW...zzzzz," Bell managed to say, before glomping Vannessa's arm and passing out.

"Patron of Sloth, in case you couldn't guess," Vannessa added, trying to shove the sleeping Bell off of her.

Bell blinked, managed a tiny evil grin that was somehow extremely terrifying, and mumbled, "Mmfdeadweight."

"Waaargh!" Vannessa yelled as she was pulled to the floor by the suddenly limp Bell.

"Mmmmpillowsleepysleep..." Bell's sentence, if it could even be called that, trailed off into a series of snores.

Lucifer sighed. "As I said, they all have peculiar tendencies. Now, most everything else here is just private rooms, and a meeting hall. What we are working on is down here." Aquila's brother lead the way down several flights of stone steps that appeared to have been literally clawed out of the rock. The two emerged before a small dock at an underground river. Several sturdy gondolas carved from black wood were tethered to respective posts. Lucifer pointed to one, which Aquila climbed into. Despite the boat's flimsy appearance, it remained perfectly balanced on the still water, broken momentarily by slight ripples. Lucifer hopped neatly onto the stern end of the boat, where a small platform barely encompassed his feet. Picking up the gondola's paddle, he untied the craft from its moorings and pushed off smoothly. Just ahead, spinning lazily in the air, was a violet vortex, about the same shape as one of the spiral galaxies in the sky. It hummed cheerfully, and Lucifer edged the gondola's prow through the center of it. It promptly began to twirl violently in a dizzying tornado, and sucked the boat and its passengers into it.

All was purple around Aquila. Worlds flashed by, stars and planets and endless empty space twined around and through him, then sped past, trailing stardust tendrils down his arm. Finally, the purple light faded, and the cosmos that was separate and yet a part of him left as well. The new world appeared, shifting into focus like eyes adjusting to things in the dark. There was a deep, black river flowing into the distance. There were lanterns and dozens of small shapes flitting around, spitting fire.

"What are they?" Aquila marveled as one perched on the gondola's edge, folding four leathery, dragonfly-like wings onto its back. It looked like some kind of lizard, with iridescent scales the color of the sea, and small, intelligent eyes of a warm amber. The entire thing was no longer than Aquila's hand, from his wrist to the tip of his middle finger. It sneezed, and a little flame shot out of its nostrils.

Lucifer shrugged. "They were here when we found this world. They come in bigger shapes as well. There are lots of strange creatures here-white horses with cloven hooves and long horns, horses with angel wings, even a peculiar class of demon. They keep to themselves mostly, and call themselves _djinn_. We are calling these little firebreathers _dragons_, after the insect they resemble in their wings."

"Do you remember the cat?" Aquila asked softly. Complete silence settled over the gondola, and the only sounds were those around them, the little zips as the dragons flew through the air.

It seemed that ages had passed before Lucifer spoke. "Yes, I remember the cat." The two demons sat in the boat, lost in times when they knew what happiness was.

_"Look, little Aqui, and you too, Lucifer!" Tsala laughs, bringing the carefully crafted figurines closer to the young angels. They are about 15 years old. "Your father's going to let you paint and name these!" There was a medium-sized bird, standing proudly on its talons, head tilted to the side, a mischievous look in its eyes. There was another bird with long, trailing tail feathers, and a furry, pointy-eared creature with a long snout and muscular legs. Last was a small animal that looked similar to the panthers and lions that had been created, but it was sweeter, with a dainty little nose and wee paws, and thin, wide ears landing in soft points. Its tail was wrapped around it protectively, and it sat on its haunches and gazed imploringly into the distance. _

_Gently, Aquila moves this last animal, and the medium-sized bird, in front of him. Lucifer takes the other two, and they begin painting. Aquila paints his bird with glossy, blue-black feathers and sparkling green eyes, to match his own appearance. He paints the other animal with lots of white, and patches of ginger and brown and black. An animal that will always be a "her". Calico. It was a nice word to describe the animal's pattern. Lucifer's bird was green all over, but the tail feathers were marvelous colors. The big animal he painted grey, with a black nose and yellow eyes, tough and courageous._

_"They look lovely," Tsala says happily, smiling fondly at her two children. "Don't you think, Gabriel?" she calls over her shoulder to her husband. The reddish-blond angel smiles at the little group in the middle of the beautiful garden. His eyes crinkle in that way unique to doting fathers. _

_"I'm going to name this one _Quetzal_," Lucifer says, pointing to the bird. "And this one is _Wolf_."_

_"My bird is called _Raven_," Aquila adds. He considers the little calico panther curiously. "And this...this is _Cat_." _

_The four new animals are brought to life with a breath and a few words from Gabriel, and the first cat rubs affectionately against Aquila, purring sweetly. Every day, the two angels play in the Garden, and the cat comes and goes, playing with Aquila, and with the little animal called Mouse. The wolf follows Lucifer faithfully through the garden, and plays with the cat on occasion. They are not enemies at this time, the cat and the mouse, the wolf and the cat. Everything is peaceful, and everything is perfect. Humans do not exist, demons do not exist. No one dreams of what will happen at the end of a span of ten years. No one thought that it could happen. After all, Lucifer was so nice to everyone..._

**Phew! I apologize for the lack of updates. I haven't had a lot of time to write recently, what with my annoying science project for chemistry to do and all. Mondays without school, when nobody will be home all day, are officially my buddy. Please review! Or I'll sic Azzy on you to decorate everything pink (just kidding)...**


	6. Construction

**Unfortunately, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I think everyone here would like to, but we sadly do not. **

**Also, this is the story of Sebastian's past, so no Ciel. I'm also calling him Aquila, which means Eagle in Latin. **

**Welcome to the sixth chapter! Please tell me what you think so far!**

Construction

_Summary: A change seemed to come over Luke. He twitched slightly, and, suddenly, Aquila was under the impression that he was no longer standing beside his brother._

Shaking his head to clear it of the memory, Aquila looked down the river. The gondola floated around a bend, revealing a massive construction site. Demons ran everywhere, carrying wooden boards and stones, and even a few materials that appeared to be molded from pure darkness. The crackling sound of magic filled the air, making Aquila's hair puff up like a large, angry bird. His brother was pointing out various points of interest. "Over there is the marketplace going up, and an enterprising fashion designer has already set up shop down there. Over there on that hill is the worksite for the palace, and over here are the dragon dens..."

Aquila looked over at the dragon dens with interest. They were a series of caves set into a large, overhanging cliff. However, these dragons weren't the cute little insect-like ones that hummed over the river. They were easily taller than a house, and would make any respectable Clydesdale look like a Shetland Pony. Their bodies, from what he could see of them, were long and lean, with rippling muscles and powerful wings. One turned its great red head to fix Aquila with a yellow stare. The thing grinned, revealing an impressive array of teeth. It stretched like a cat and padded straight down the cliff, using its hooked claws to cling to the rock. When it was level with the river, it stretched its neck out towards the gondola and inhaled with a big _sneeeef!_ Aquila stared the dragon down, wondering in some corner of his brain why he wasn't frightened in the least. The dragon turned its head to the side quizzically, as if to ask why this puny creature wasn't running in fear, and then snorted out a spurt of flame. The fire blew over Aquila before he had time to react, and he panicked at first, before realizing that something was mildly fishy. The gondola still appeared to be safe and sound, and Aquila had not been turned into barbeque. In fact, the fire had felt pleasantly warm.

Carefully, Aquila reached out and patted the dragon's nose. The creature's scales were coarse in texture but fitted together quite smoothly. Its eyes widened briefly in surprise, before half-closing as it soaked up the attention.

"So do these dragons cause any trouble? Or is everything here flame-resistant?" Aquila asked.

"They seem mildly interested in us, but other than that, no," his brother replied. "And...while we're down here...I would prefer if you called and thought of me by the name Luke. My true name...has become rather well-known." 'Luke' smiled rather sheepishly. Aquila briefly managed a smile, but couldn't hold back the visible flinch as a sudden spike of pain shot between his shoulderblades. Luke's eyes flitted to Aquila for an instant, but he said nothing.

The gondola made its way past the dragon and down the river. A rise in the land off to the side seemed reserved for some special purpose. Large blocks of black stone stood clustered around a building frame molded from shadow. "What's that?" Aquila nodded at the structure.

Luke appeared embarassed. "The palace, unfortunately. I'm...er...kind of the king. And the others you met...princes..."

Aquila's spine prickled, and a brief flash of memory occupied his mind. _"All of you have been chosen for a special purpose in this war. You are some of the best fighters, the most cunning strategists, and the greatest members of the Legion a commander could ask for. Your mission is far from simple: Find the leader of the demons, and destroy him. If these creatures exist for any longer, he will only grow in power. Already his strength outmatches the majority of fighters. The reason for this is beacuse..." _The memory faded out at the end.

"Are you all right, Aquila?" Luke gave him a strange look. The gondola was partially out of the water, poled onto the bank.

"I'm fine...I think..." Aquila blinked a few times to come out of memory land. His brother nodded uncertainly and hopped lightly to the shore. Aquila, still unused to the slightly heightened reflexes of his demon self, affected a less casual exit from the boat. Luke's mouth twitched in a smirk, and he offered his hand to help Aquila up.

A tall demon with greyish hair came down the hill to meet the two of them, holding a clipboard which appeared to be holding blueprints for a porcupine. Aquila assumed they were plans for the castle, but there were so many spikes it was hard to tell. "Ah, this is the last prince, Beelzebub, Patron of Gluttony," Luke introduced him to Aquila.

"Call me Elze," the grey-haired demon grinned, speaking in an accent which would later (much, much later) be Italian. He seemed to have a permanently hungry expression on his face.

"My lord, I've been meaning to ask you what you think of putting in a gardens. You said no to the throne room, but perhaps the other would prefer-" another demon came running up, and stopped short as a change seemed to come over Luke. He twitched slightly, and, suddenly, Aquila was under the impression that he was no longer standing beside his brother.

The person in his brother's shape turned to the other demon. His voice was the same soft, cold, one that Aquila had heard earlier, implying ultimate authority. "No, no throne room. Gardens are fine, of course. Go easy on the black trim in the entrance hall, I want to see red somewhere in there, and for the love of all that's demonic not that ghastly color Asmodeus seems creepily drawn to..." the person gave a shudder.

"Yes, my lord," the other demon squeaked, and ran off in a way that was not entirely fleeing in fright.

Aquila nervously raised a quizzical eyebrow at the person. "Who are you?"

The person gave him an odd look, and then shook his head. The color changed to a dark red, with front bangs that defied the law of gravity and shifted up, then hung in long spikes straight down. The person's eyes changed to amber, with slitted pupils. "My name is not important. Suffice to say that I am a supernatural entity currently contained within your brother's mind. If you need to call me something, call me Iram," the person replied. "I am the Demon King, the Patron of Wrath."

**Okay all done for now! Sorry it took so long! As an extra tidbit, 'Iram' means Wrath in Latin. **


	7. Fire and Ice

**Unfortunately, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I think everyone here would like to, but we sadly do not. **

**Also, this is the story of Sebastian's past, so no Ciel. I'm also calling him Aquila, which means Eagle in Latin. Side note: Beelzebub's nickname is pronounced "Ell-zee".**

**Yay! 7th chapter! Does this make it lucky?**

Fire and Ice

_Summary: Aquila could feel a current in his blood, an ancient power that dwelled within him and his brother. _

The entity which called himself Iram regarded Aquila with sleepy-looking eyes, as if he had just woken from a nap and was rather annoyed that the reason wasn't important. However, Aquila could tell that a dark malice resided in those eyes, one that was only barely controlled.

"Master...Aquila only woke up a few hours ago. He does not yet know the limits of his power," Elze bowed slightly, with one hand curled over his chest.

Iram blinked slowly, and then smirked. "How delightful! I shall watch with interest..." Iram's hair color faded to reddish-blonde, and his eyes were replaced with Luke's calmer, red ones.

Aquila's brother yawned and blinked a few times, staring at his bangs. "What did he do to my hair?" Luke asked instantly, swiping the pointed strands back over his head, where they took notice of gravity once more and fell loosely to the sides of his head.

Elze looked relieved. "I hoped you'd be coming back out, my l-mmf!" the grey-haired demon was cut off as Luke clapped a hand to his mouth.

"Quit it with the title," Luke growled. "I keep looking over my shoulder, mentally speaking, for Mr. Anger Management." Aquila coughed in surprise, wondering if he'd heard that right.

Luke removed his hand from Elze's mouth and turned to Aquila. "As a demon, you have access to a different style of magic than an angel," he explained. "And since you are my brother, you may be able to call upon some of my powers in addition to your own."

"Um...what's a basic power I should try?" Aquila asked nervously, glancing around. A few demons had wandered over from the palace construction sight and were observing the proceedings with amusement.

"Shapeshifting is a necessary skill, and anything involving fire should come naturally," Elze offered.

"Work your way through the other elements as well, and you should be fine," Luke coached.

Aquila closed his eyes for better concentration, and focused on the first animal his mind thought of...which was a raven. He remembered the bird in flight, all of its feathers, its beak, its feet. He willed his body to take that shape. A cloud of darkness surrounded him, and his body began to change. But...something was wrong. He couldn't feel his arms-his wings. A cold feeling of dread crawled up his spine, and Aquila immediately thought of something different-anything different-and changed shape once more, but not before a searing pain, one much, much worse than his ravenous hunger, sliced briefly across his shoulders, making him see spots before his eyes. He was uninjured, though, and the pain quickly faded. The cloud of darkness retreated, and a small black cat sat before the demons.

Luke smiled, and nodded at Aquila to try out a few other magics.

Aquila turned back into his normal shape and held out his hand. With an experimental snap, a few flames crackled into the air above his fingers. Delighted, Aquila tried out the other elements. He summoned vines, gusts of wind that bowled over a few demons in the little gathering, and a swirl of color that looked something like the Aurora Borealis. He had purposefully saved the element of water for last, though, because he could...detect something. Aquila could feel a current in his blood, an ancient power that dwelled within him and his brother. He called upon that current, and said the first combination of words that jumped to his mind: "_Aliquam virtus Aquilo, Vox Australium Cross, Frigus in decore pervenit usque terrae, Venite ad me iam dicere!"_

A surge of frigid air blasted the area around Aquila, but he did not feel the cold. Spears of ice surrounded him, spinning in midair. They spiraled and clustered, hovering in the air just above his back. Controlling them through his thoughts, Aquila lifted off with a flap of the ice wings, floating on currents of cold air. He felt as if he could run three times around the Earth, slow as the encroach of winter, never faltering in his stride, as if he was drawing his strength from massive floes of ice and snow. He could feel the astonished eyes of all the demons on him, and with that realization, he quickly dropped back to the ground and released his hold on that inner current. The wings of ice vanished, as did the feeling of surging power.

Silence reigned among everyone. Finally, Luke stepped slowly forward, and gave Aquila a sheepish look. His elder brother closed his eyes, and a roiling flame surrounded him, resolving itself into two black, bat-like wings, smoldering and glowing like a hardening lava flow. His eyes reflected an unstoppable fire, snapping into the air and vanishing faster than the eye could follow. With a crisp _shmp_!, he folded the wings, and the flames died down. "It seems that you and I are Fire and Ice," Luke looked at Aquila.

* * *

><p>Judging from the way that Bel seemed sleepier than earlier when they returned, Aquila guessed that it was night-time. Or had a night passed, and it was day again? Aquila found it confusing to tell time in the secret caves beneath the ground. His energy had been heavily depleted from the magic, however, and he decided that whatever time it was, it was bedtime. Luke had found him a spare room and bed, and, before leaving him to sleep, gave him a long, worried look.<p>

Aquila waved him off. "I'm fine, brother. No need to worry."

Luke's frown deepened. "You don't remember, do you?"

"...No," Aquila looked at the floor. "Maybe that's a good thing."

"Better by far you should forget and smile, than that you should remember and be sad," Luke sighed, turning to leave.

* * *

><p><strong>The Latin earlier translates as: "Power of the North Star, Power of the Southern Cross, Cold beauty in the far reaches of the Earth, Come to my call now!"<strong>

**Yay a longish chapter for me! I feel so accomplished!**

**The last sentence in this chapter was from a poem by Christina Georgina Rossetti:**

**"Remember me when I am gone away,  
>Gone far away into the silent land;<br>When you can no more hold me by the hand,  
>Nor I half turning go yet turning stay.<br>Remember me when no more day by day  
>You tell me of our future that you planned:<br>Only remember me; you understand  
>It will be late to counsel then or pray.<br>Yet if you should forget me for a while  
>And afterwards remember, do not grieve:<br>For if the darkness and corruption leave  
>A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,<br>Better by far you should forget and smile  
>Than that you should remember and be sad."<strong>


	8. You'll Be In My Heart

**Unfortunately, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I think everyone here would like to, but we sadly do not. The title of this chapter comes from and includes the full version of the song in Tarzan, which I don't own either.**

**Also, this is the story of Sebastian's past, so no Ciel. I'm also calling him Aquila, which means Eagle in Latin. **

Chapter Eight: You'll Be In My Heart

_Summary: "Mother...?"_

Aquila tried to sleep, but he couldn't get more than a few minutes in. His dreams were nothing but darkness and swirling feathers and blood. He was intensely frustrated that he could remember nothing. Owing to Luke's words that it would be better if he forgot, Aquila was trying even harder to remember what had happened to him. His childhood was clear-but all the events from the start of the war to now were muddled.

Aquila sat up in bed and listened. He could hear nothing, so he guessed that the others were either walking around too quietly to hear or asleep. He carefully sidled out of his room and made his way to the entrance to the oasis pool. With some concentration, he turned into an otter and dove in quietly, resurfacing outside under the starry sky. Aquila felt a pang of homesickness at the sight of the stars even farther away than they had been. He worked his way to the heart of the sparse trees around the oasis, and stood there for a minute, lost in thought. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed with a wave of anger and sadness, and he collapsed onto a rock.

_Why? _he shouted at the sky in his head. _Why can't I remember anything? What happened to my wings? What did I DO to be given this curse? _

"That is for you to remember, little one," whispered a soft voice behind him.

Aquila froze. He would know that voice anywhere, even if a thousand years had passed. "Mother...?" he asked, hardly daring to breathe. Was she trying to earn his trust and then attack him because he was a demon?

"I know you're upset. You will remember in time, but you must not give in to your despair when you do," came the gentle voice again. His mother, Tsala, walked into his view, her long black hair tucked into a bun. Her eyes were a warm amber, shining in the dark.

Aquila sat huddled on his rock, terrified. _All angels hate the demons! She's going to kill me!_

"_Aquila_," his mother said, rather sharply, and then she sighed. "Aquila. I'm not going to hurt you. Please believe me."

"What do you want, then?" he replied, choking back his fear.

"All I want to do is help you. You must not give up. No matter what you remember, please listen," she pleaded. Aquila didn't know why, but those last two words made him shiver. They were important, for some reason. They applied specifically to him.

Tsala sat down beside him on the rock, and put her arm around Aquila. He flinched, not understanding why she wasn't mad at him. Hadn't all the other Fallen done some terrible crime to be thrown out of heaven?

Softly, slowly, Tsala began to sing.

"_Come stop your crying,  
>It'll be all right.<br>Come take my hand,  
>Hold it tight.<br>I will protect you from  
>All around you,<br>I will be here, don't you cry._

For one so small,  
>You seem so strong.<br>My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm.  
>This bond between us<br>Can't be broken.  
>I will be here, don't you cry...<p>

_And you'll be in my heart,  
>Yes you'll be in my heart.<br>From this day on,  
>Now and forevermore.<em>

_You'll be in my heart,  
>No matter what they say.<br>You'll be here in my heart,  
>Always...<em>

_Why can't they understand  
>The way we feel?<br>They just don't trust  
>What they can't explain.<br>I know we're different but  
>Deep inside us,<br>We're not that different at all._

_And you'll be in my heart,  
>Yes you'll be in my heart.<br>From this day on,  
>Now and forevermore...<em>

_Don't listen to them!  
>Cause what do they know?<br>We need each other  
>To have, to hold!<br>They'll see in time,  
>I know.<em>

_When destiny calls you,  
>You must be strong!<br>I may not be with you,  
>But you got to hold on!<br>They'll see in time,  
>I know.<br>We'll show them together_

_Cause you'll be in my heart,  
>Yes you'll be in my heart.<br>From this day on,  
>Now and forevermore.<em>

_You'll be in my heart,  
>No matter what they say.<br>You'll be here in my heart,  
>Always..."<em>

With a faint hug and a passing whisper of wind, Aquila's mother was gone. He looked at the sky, searching for her, but she had vanished into the night. With slow steps, he made his way back to the pool, and back underground.

* * *

><p><strong>Aaah...*sniff*<strong>

**I always end up crying when I imagine Aquila(Sebastian)'s past because I imagine it so vividly, and it's very sad...**

**You'll get the whole story in another few chapters! Sorry this one was kind of short!**


	9. Training

**Unfortunately, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I think everyone here would like to, but we sadly do not. **

**Also, this is the story of Sebastian's past, so no Ciel. I'm also calling him Aquila, which means Eagle in Latin. **

**Thoughts on this chapter:** I think this chapter's going to be significantly longer, or that's just my wishful thinking. Anyway, read on!

To Madame Grell: I actually have that idea in my plans for the next chapter!

Chapter Nine: Training

_Summary: "AAAAH!" "I haven't attacked you yet." "I know. I'm just getting warmed up."_

The morning may have dawned bright and cheerful, with birds soaring into the clear blue sky, but it was kind of hard to tell in the hidden caves. Aquila tried to ignore the hunger that was nearly literally gnawing at him, and dressed in some comfortable black clothes. The tunic had tight sleeves that covered the tops of his hands, and a loose collar with dark maroon ruffles against the black fabric. His pants were black, long and slightly flared at the bottom, allowing for swift and acrobatic twists in his movement (he experimented with this by running over the ceiling of his room and flipping off the chandelier). His shoes were simple and flexible (and also black), allowing his toes to gain traction through their soles (this was discovered while running up the wall). The white battle robes of his past were folded neatly in a drawer of his dresser. Aquila had been momentarily chilled at the sight of bloodstains along its back, and had grown impatient at his memory despite his mother's assurance that he would remember, given time. He was beginning to have a bad feeling about why he couldn't transform into a bird.

"Morning, Aquila," Asmodeus was creeping right outside his doorway, which Aquila found slightly disturbing.

"Morning...Azzy...why are you right outside my door?" he asked nervously.

"To show you countless delights..." Azzy batted his eyelashes at him and smirked. Aquila's disturbed meter shot up. Picking up a random book on a table in his room (_The Demon's Guide to Fashion_, by Asmodeus Swiftgale), Aquila chucked it at him.

"Oh, you want to play rough, eh?" Azzy's grin widened as he caught the book casually.

"I can see why you get on my brother's nerves," Aquila edged around the pink-haired demon and took off down the hall.

"No, come back, mi corazon!" Azzy begged.

"Yes, I shall come back...with black paint to dump on your head!" Aquila shouted back.

"You wouldn't!" Azzy's eyes grew wide, and he clutched a brightly colored lock in terror and crooned to it soothingly. "It's all right, mon amour, Azzy's not going to let the big bad bully do anything to you..."

Aquila shuddered violently and turned a corner. His brother was standing there in a small room, attempting to read a newspaper. At the same time, he was carrying on a conversation with himself. "Yes, well, of course you'd say that. No, I don't...now wait just a second! Who said _you _could just-oi, I'm talking to you, don't you go to slee-oh for the love of all that's demonic!"

Aquila weighed his options. He could continue walking along the same hall as the person whose sanity was in doubt, or go back to the escapee from a maximum security asylum. Aquila chose to go with the former. "Morning, brother," he attempted to have an intelligent conversation that did not involve a crazy pink-haired thing making innuendoes.

"Morning, Aquila. Training starts as soon as everyone's awake and not killing each other, which could take until this afternoon if Bel's anything to go by," Luke folded the newspaper and looked around for anyone else. "Tell me Asmodeus isn't the only other person up."

"Mrgramuffin, 'm up," Elze came walking into the room doing battle with a massive biscuit stuffed with eggs and bacon and jelly and pretty much anything else one could possibly have for breakfast.

Aquila sniffed the air, confused, and detected a trace of the sweet scent of a human soul somewhere within the biscuit's contents. "Hi, Elze."

Elze stuffed the rest of the biscuit down his throat and swallowed it whole. "I can't believe I live in the same house as these madmen..." Aquila's mouth twitched at the barely audible whisper from his brother.

"'Lo, Aquila. Ready for training?" Elze ran a hand through his shaggy grey hair and yawned.

"Training for what?" Aquila looked from Luke to Elze.

"Battle training, obviously. The angels run patrols up top on a regular basis, so we have to be prepared in case we run across any of them while we're out," Elze explained. "Here, you'll need this." He produced a sheathed sword out of thin air and tossed it to Aquila. He caught it and looked at it with interest. He'd never seen this particular sword design before. It was slightly curved, but it wasn't a katana. "That's a saber. They're good for keeping the angels' short rapiers away from you, and then we have these little blades-" he tossed another sheathed item to Aquila- "which are khukris. If they get their rapiers past the saber, you can deflect their attacks with this." Aquila looked at the khukri in his hand, which appeared to be a weird hybrid cross between a boomerang and a scimitar.

"Mmmpillowneedstocomeback...MORNING!" this shout made them all jump, and announced the arrival of Bel, dressed in a tunic, shorts, and leather X-shaped bands across her chest, stuffed with a very disconcerting array of weapons.

"AAAH!" Azzy screamed and hid behind Luke.

"I haven't attacked you yet." Bel smiled earnestly.

"I know. I'm just getting warmed up." Azzy shot Aquila a meaningful glance, but not one that had anything to do with his words.

"I'll throw another book at you if you don't quit the creepiness," Aquila threatened. "And I'll make sure to hit you with it this time."

Azzy waved him away dismissively. "Ah, young grasshopper, you are no match for the master's skills. Train hard, and I maaaay deem you worthy to hit me through what is known as 'beginner's luck'."

The others wandered into the room, all dressed in various battle attire. Vannessa yawned and twirled a spiked, whip-like chain that was painful to look at. "Don't ya just love my new weapon? Made it just the other day. Haven't had a chance to try it out yet!" she gave a very demonic grin and everyone within range leaned back slightly.

Luke sighed and muttered a few words to himself. With a hum, he divided into his two personas. Iram ran a hand through his red hair, making it stick up even more. Aquila decided not to mention the fact that his morning hair would be quite attractive to a porcupine. Iram shot him an irritated glare, as if he knew what Aquila was thinking.

Mon walked in, casually avoiding Vannessa. The demoness grinned and cracked her whip-chain. "Jealous?" Mon stood on the opposite side of the room and fumed silently. "I'll take that as a yes."

Luke rolled his eyes at the two of them and clapped his hands. "Alright everyone! To the training room!"

* * *

><p>The eight of them were now occupying the near end of a massive underground cavern, one which had mostly been left alone when the demons moved in, with a few weapons racks lining one wall. Aquila decided that "a few" was a bit of a stretch. That implied 2 or 3, not, for example, 10 or 12. "Here's the fun part," Luke flashed a smile at Aquila. "Everyone pair off. We can finally do this in even numbers!"<p>

Mon and Vannessa faced off rather than paired, and Azzy and Elze trooped off to the far end of the cavern. Bel clapped Luke on the shoulder, and Aquila watched with a fleeting sense of panic as his brother voiced a very innocent-sounding "Good luck" to him.

Iram grinned at him with his creepy yellow snake eyes. "It appears that I am your training partner."

"So it appears," Aquila said faintly. "Um, Luke? Help?"

"Just try not to die," Luke offered unhelpfully. "NON-weapon sparring first, Vannessa," he added over his shoulder. Vannessa made a pouty face and put down her whip-chain.

Aquila looked at Iram. Iram looked back at Aquila. Aquila blinked. Iram didn't, mainly because he wasn't there anymore. Aquila's brain had about half a millisecond to think "_Wh-" _before a massive force slammed into his side and sent him flying. Aquila instinctively twisted like a cat in midair and skidded across the floor on his feet. He told himself he'd be ready the next time creeper eyes attacked. And then said creeper punted him again. Aquila rushed him the second he regained traction, and managed to barely skim his fingers through his sparring partner's wake. Iram spun deftly on his heels, pivoting so that his weight was now on his toes. Slower now, but still supernaturally fast, he danced across the floor, a mere acquaintance of gravity's impact. Aquila huffed angrily and feinted to the right, before diving to the left. Iram stumbled briefly as Aquila clipped his leg. This allowed Aquila to get a possible upper hand by working his head into something of a modified choke hold. Iram wriggled out and twirled around, now putting Aquila in the exact same position. More from annoyance rather than suffocation, Aquila heaved and flipped Iram up and over so that he was now flat on his back on the floor. Iram gripped Aquila's wrists in a death grip and slowly smiled, showing all of his long demon fangs. A small nudge of terror started in the back of Aquila's brain. Something was not right here. He had not won.

Iram did a rather simple maneouver. He did a kick-up. The problem with this was that he still had Aquila's arms in his hands. Just before he was vertical, he let go. Aquila went sailing through the air. Everyone else looked up and watched as he flew by. Aquila managed to do a series of rolls rather than a skidding crash when he touched earth again, and he spun around and charged faster than he had before. His peripheral vision blurred, all focus narrowed down to what was directly in front of him as he sprinted across the cavern, bowling over Iram and running flat into the wall. Or up it. By the time Aquila realized that he was running on the _ceiling, _gravity remembered he was there.

Iram's mouth twitched in a rather sadistic smile. "Enjoy your flight?" he asked, leaning over Aquila as he attempted to blink the stars out of his head. Aquila responded with an uppercut to Iram's chin, which he dodged easily.

At that moment, the terrifying pineapple demoness Quis came running in, so worked up that her eyes had shifted to vermillion cat's. "Quickly, my lords! Legion patrol ambushed Malphas while he was out hunting! He was holding them off when I left him, but I don't know how much longer he can last! And..." Quis looked directly into Luke's eyes. "Gabriel's with them."

Luke's eyes flared with an anger that Aquila had never seen before, one which chilled his blood to the bone.

* * *

><p><strong>All done for this chapter! In case you don't remember, Quis' name means 'pineapple' in Latin. It was the only thing I could think of at the time! Don't give me that look! And once again, sorry this chapter took so long! I kept having to write snippets of it off and on as I got the chance. There's an angel fight coming up next! And poor Aquila's past is about to be revealed in its entirety (not next chapter, possibly a couple chapters ahead, but soon, okay?)!<strong>

**All the weapons mentioned in this chapter are real, except for Vannessa's whip-chain thing. That is from the PS2 game Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. It is possibly the most awesome weapon ever. A khukri is a knife commonly used in Tibet and Nepal, and can come in different sizes, depending on whether or not you want to go hunting or cut off someone's head. Lovely, isn't it?**


	10. Chapter 10: Skirmish

**Unfortunately, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I think everyone here would like to, but we sadly do not. **

**Also, this is the story of Sebastian's past, so no Ciel. I'm also calling him Aquila, which means Eagle in Latin. **

**Thoughts on this chapter:** Yay! Short fight scene! Let's go!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Ten: Skirmish<span>

_Summary__: He was pretty sure Azzy hadn't really started sprouting random flowers that pulsed as if they were some kind of animal instead of a plant and changed colors with the spikes of pain._

Luke quickly recalled Iram and they became one person again. Aquila still didn't quite understand how that worked, but he was willing to skirt around the strangeness and get the idea. Azzy and Elze came running from the far side of the cavern, and Vannessa and Mon picked up their weapons and momentarily forgot their dislike of each other. Bel fully opened her eyes and not a trace of tiredness could be detected. Before his very eyes, Aquila watched as the seven demons lost all of their amusing tendencies, becoming the leaders and rebels they were known as by the angels. Aquila even remembered a small trace of the battle, merely a few sentences, from an Azzy that was not terminally insane.

_"Luke, we have to get out of here! Quickly, or the portal will close! Unless you want to be flying back home with the entire Legion on your tail, I suggest you get a move on!" _

Aquila shook off the clinging shadow of a memory. Now was not the time to be flooded with the experience of his past. He didn't even know who this Malphas person was, but if he was managing to hold off a patrol all by his lonesome, he was clearly strong. He ran with the others out of the cavern, swam up through the pool, and they stopped briefly to shake off the water.

"We'll get there faster if we fly. Everyone up!" Luke ordered, unfolding white wings. The others did likewise, and Aquila tried~but pain unlike his hunger, unlike anything he had ever experienced, pain strong enough to make his demon self see black spots in front of his eyes, lanced across his back.

With a scream, Aquila twisted, trying to find the source. For a minute, his brain did not comprehend what he was seeing. There was white~but it was not feathers. Aquila's gaze focused, and his scream choked off with a gag of horror. For sticking out of his back, where his wings had been, where they should still be, were splintered bones. Their tips were bent in a decidedly not straight direction, as if some great force had pressured them into twisting, and a few rotting feathers caked with blood clung desperately to them. No matter which way he moved, what had once been his wings sent slices of pain through his body.

"Llllk!" Aquila managed to spit through his teeth. "LLLLK!" His brother turned, and drew in his breath sharply. For a brief second his eyes flashed with that terrifying, thunderous anger, but it may have been Aquila's imagination. He was pretty sure Azzy hadn't really started sprouting random flowers that pulsed as if they were some kind of animal instead of a plant and changed colors with the spikes of pain.

"You go one ahead," Luke said tightly to the others. "You shouldn't have a problem chasing them off."

Aquila finally found enough strength to fold the remains of his wings into his back, and gasped as the pain abruptly cut off.

* * *

><p>Near a village in the desert, Malphas, a member of the Demon Council, was using his guerilla tactics. Keeping well back from the six angels trying to circle around him, he darted in at random intervals and picked at their flanks. They were getting irritated at him, which was his plan. If they were flustered enough not to launch a full-scale charge for long enough, help might come in time. He had been working at this for ten minutes, and was worried that their annoyance was wearing off, as was their patience. Contrary to popular belief, patience wasn't a virtue, and never would be, so the angels were free to lose it (no, really, neither of the people credited with coming up with the old virtues had patience on their list).<p>

To Malphas' relief, he saw the shapes of the demon princes speeding through the air. They began a downwards dive, silent as owls, and, too late, Gabriel and his patrol looked up to see faces right in front of theirs. Literally bowled over by the surprise, the angels picked themselves up and took off, circling around in the sky, then shooting down like falcons. Azzy met one head-on and gave him a big hug, which quickly turned into a chokehold, which quickly turned into suggestive comments, which quickly turned into an extremely disgusted and disturbed angel attempting to escape from the crazy demon's clutches.

The other angels, clearly more experienced, dodged anticipated attacks and swiped their swords at the demons. Vannessa leapt backwards, a minor scratch above her eye. With an angry hiss, she wiped away the blood and catapulted herself at the offender. Tackling him in mid-air, they tumbled to the ground, where Vannessa transformed into a small house cat and became a spitting and clawing whirlwind of fur. The angel jabbed his rapier at her, but she was already gone, clinging to his head with grim determination.

Gabriel held off the combined efforts of Elze, Bel, and Mon, before pulling back with an irritated huff. He hadn't been expecting the arrival of the princes. This wasn't good. "Fall back, patrol! It's only a matter of time before _they _show up!"

The angels beat off the demons they were fighting, and were quickly airborne. With flashes of brilliant light, they became beams that swiftly shot straight up.

* * *

><p>"Are you all right, Aquila?" Luke asked worriedly. "Answer me, brother."<p>

Aquila whimpered, clutching his head. "I remember," he said in a small voice. "I remember everything!" And oh, how he wished he did not. He wished he could still remember only bits and pieces, or better yet, nothing at all. Anything but what he knew now. For he remembered his life, a life that started out happier and more peaceful than anything else in the universe, and slanted downhill with a single vision of towering buildings, mechanical birds, and a burning forest.

* * *

><p><strong>Aaah this chapter was really short. However, I can promise you that the next one will be long. Really long. In fact, it's already written, just not typed up, and the thing covers at least 10 college-ruled full-size pieces of notebook paper. Don't worry. It will be up Thursday, most likely. <strong>


	11. Chapter 11: A Nightmare of a Memory

**Unfortunately, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. I think everyone here would like to, but we sadly do not. **

**Also, this is the story of Sebastian's past, so no Ciel. I'm also calling him Aquila, which means Eagle in Latin. Oh, and the song I use in here is from The Lion King: Simba's Pride. Don't ask why I like Disney songs, they just fit. A couple of the word have been changed slightly to make it fit a little bit better than it does normally, so don't come attacking me. I clearly don't own Disney.**

Chapter Eleven: A Nightmare of a Memory

_Summary__: "Maria! Help me!"_

"Look, Aquila. Look how beautiful the trees are," Tsala smiles down at her three-year-old son. His elder brother, who is five, pokes him in the side. "_Luke_," she gently admonishes the little angel with his nickname. "This is Aquila's first time in Eden. Don't pester him."

"Not pestering. Poking!" Luke says gleefully.

Tsala shakes her head and calls one of the many creatures. A scaly-bodies animal comes padding up on long legs. It has a diamond-back pattern, and curious, slit-pupiled yellow eyes.

Aquila stares at the creature. "What are you?" he asks in a small voice.

The creature raises its noble head. "I am Serpent."

Luke seems fascinated with Serpent. "I've never seen you 'fore, Surp'nt."

"I'm new here," Serpent explains. "But I don't have many friends among the other animals. Would you like to play sometime?"

Luke nods. " 'Es."

* * *

><p>"Oi, wait up, Luke!" Aquila calls to his brother, who is currently climbing the tallest tree he could find.<p>

"Bet I can make it to the top before you!" Luke yells over his shoulder.

"You're already halfway up, silly!" Aquila complains. "And Mother'll get you for making bets again."

"Only if _someone _tells her," Luke smirks as Aquila catches up to his branch, panting.

"Look, you can see the Big River from here!" Luke points across the forest to where a huge river winds its way over the land, the creatures called crocodiles lining its banks.

Aquila looks out over the forest, and sees something sparkling in the light. _The great city of Cairo, long a tourist destination. Many of them have arrived in the planes landing at the airport._ "Hey..,what's that?"

"What's what?" Luke looks where Aquila is pointing, but sees nothing.

_Recent protests against the government of Egypt have diverted many tourists from the violence. _"It's nothing. It's gone now," Aquila frowns. "Odd. I thought it was some sort of city at first."

Luke laughs. "A city? Why would there be a city in Eden?"

"I...don't know..." Aquila shrugs. "It was probably nothing." _It is not nothing. This will come to pass. _

* * *

><p>"I can't stand this, Aquila," Luke paces back and forth across the room. "I can't stand watching you suffer like that every night. You say every time it's a different version of the future? Different areas of the world?"<p>

Aquila nods timidly. He had seen the great rainforest burning. Luke takes a shuddering breath, lines of worry across his face, a strange expression for a sixteen-year-old to carry. "If...If the one with the fire in it come again...I've _told _Father we need to do something about it, but he doesn't listen! If that dream comes to you again...I'm leaving."

"What? Luke, you can't! Father'd be so mad~"

"If that happens again, I'm leaving," Luke repeats. "I don't care what they do to me. I'm going to fix this problem once and for all. And I won't be coming back."

Chills run through Aquila's body. He hopes that the dream of Eden burning will never come again.

* * *

><p><em>"Lucifer, come back!"<em>

* * *

><p>In the two years since his brother left, and then Serpent, and five others, Aquila had tried to forget about things when he wasn't being trained for the elite patrol. The elite patrol was a special team of angels whose mission was to kill the leader of the demons. His father hadn't told him who it was, only that it was the darkest evil the world had ever seen. These sobering thoughts had been hard to push back~until he met Maria.<p>

* * *

><p>Aquila walks in to the grand ballroom. Maria stand there in a beautiful green dress to match her eyes. Maria Skyheart~and the sky was definitely where Aquila's heart reached for whenever he saw her.<p>

"Good afternoon, Maria," Aquila takes her hand and leads her out to where the other dancers swirl on the floor.

* * *

><p>Aquila skirted the edge of the battle, dodging around the angels and demons. It was disconcerting to recognize nearly every face on the side of the Enemy. But so far, there was no sign of their leader, the Devil~whoever that was.<p>

"Aquila!" one of the other angels on the elite patrol called his attention. "He's over there! I'm busy with this one; go kill him!"

Nodding, Aquila dashed off to where the angel had pointed. He rounded a large boulder~and came face to face with his own brother.

* * *

><p>Aquila was motionless, his brother a perfect mirror of him. Around them could be heard the cries of battle, but no one seemed to see them yet. Aquila stared at his brother~who had changed so much, and yet not at all. In his cat-like vermillion eyes Aquila could detect a cold malice, a masked fury struggling to surface. That was not his brother. It was something else, a different personality. Ate the top of it all was Luke!confused, sad, and above all, terrified. He was just as scared as Aquila was. All he was doing was protecting his friends. He was no different than Aquila himself.<p>

Through the blur that was now his thoughts came a voice. "What are you waiting for, Aquila? Kill him!" it pleaded. It was one of the others of the elite squadron, but at that time, Aquila could not remember his name.

"I...can't," he whispered. "How can I kill my own brother?"

"He's not your brother anymore, Aquila!" the other angel cried, desperate now. The reinforcements were late in coming, and if this monster could not be stopped now, while he was still young, then he never would. "Kill him!"

Wordless, numb, Aquila backed away. He tried, but nothing came from his mouth.

What happened next was a flash of lightning in Aquila's mind.

"I don't believe it, Aquila." the angel, taking up his sword.

"Ah!" his brother, just now stumbling out of his stupor, too slow to defend himself.

"Die!" the angel again, striking down with his rapier.

"NO!" Aquila's own yell, a screech of terror and anger. And in his own hands was his sword.

"Wha~Aquila, what are you doing?" the angel fell. And the angel Fell.

Silence settled around them. "What...Aquila...what have you done?" Luke asked quietly.

"I couldn't...I couldn't just let him kill you." Aquila's entire body shook. Then he took a deep breath. "I'll take him back. I'll explain what happened to Father. He'll listen, I'm sure of it."

"No!" Luke cried. "He will _never _listen. He ordered you to kill me~and yet he made me what I am!"

"He'll listen," Aquila said stubbornly. "I'll take whatever punishment he gives me."

"Come back with us!" Luke begged. "When it comes to us, Gabriel doesn't think straight. Please, you'll be safe~"

"No," Aquila was calm now. "He'll listen. You'll see." He carefully picked up the lifeless body of the other angel and walked away."

"Aquila..." Luke trailed off with a strangled cry.

"Luke!" came a voice behind him. "The portal is closing! Unless you want to be flying home with the entire Legion on your tail, I suggest you get a move on!"

Luke turned to see a pink-haired demon standing beside a magic portal. "But...Aquila...he killed an angel to protect me. He is Fallen now..."

Asmodeus sighed in exasperation and ran a hand through his hair. "We can't go after him, Luke. I'm sorry."

"No. No! Aquila! NO! You don't know what they're going to do to you, Aquila!" Luke screamed, but his brother was already gone. Asmodeus dragged him through the portal, and no trace was left.

* * *

><p>"Aquila, what happened?" Gabriel stopped short when he saw his last son carrying the body of an angel. "Who did this?"<p>

For a few seconds, Aquila's voice faltered. "I...I did it," he managed to choke out. "But lis~" Fear rose in him at the expression on Gabriel's face.

"What?" his father's voice was cold and detached, as if he had already made up his mind.

"No, it's not what you think. Please listen. I couldn't kill my broth~"

"There is no excuse," Gabriel's tone was flat, and Aquila was more afraid of him than if he had shouted. "Angels!" he called, and everyone in the nearby vicinity gathered together in a cluster.

Father, please don't do this. Please listen to me!" Aquila broke off at the look in Gabriel's eyes.

His father's next words struck a chill to his bone. "_Who _are you talking to?"Gabriel asked the question calmly. He turned to the gathered people. "Bear witness to the events of this day. This angel is no longer one of us. He has killed his own kind, and sided with the Enemy.

"No! No, I haven't! I didn't mean to~Please, don't do this to me!"

His father began the curse. "Lumen into Umbra."

"_Light into Shadow." _

"Please!" he cried in terror. "Someone! Anyone! Help me!"

"Aquila into Corvus."

"_Eagle into Raven."_

"Angeles into Diablos!"

"_Angels into Devils._"

"Forever starving to death, and unable to die."

"_Forever chained to the Earth, and unable to fly._"

"The white dog is a good dog, good dog, good."

"_The black dog is a bad dog, bad dog, bad._"

"Lullaby, and the sun sets."

"_Lullaby and goodnight._"

Aquila's breath came in ragged gasps. Gasps that were unnecessary. He no longer needed to breathe. His heart beat out of force of habit.

Gabriel approached him with a mad glint in his eyes, and Aquila realized what he was going to do. "NO!" he screamed, but there was nowhere to run, and noplace to hide. And then someone was tearing off a piece of his soul, twisting it around and around, like breaking off a living tree branch. Pain unlike anything he had ever known raged over his back. The piece of soul was severed, and lay mangled on the ground, blood dripping from the torced bone, over the white feathers. Seized with terror, Aquila searched the crowd of angels with a final desperation.

"Maria!" he screamed as his other wing was caught. "Help me!"

"Do not speak to me, _demon,_" were all that was returned from his love.

Aquila stood there in agony of body and mind, as blood dripped down his sides. The remaing bones of his wings folded, retreating into his back as if they still had the wings themselves attached. Spots danced before his eyes, and another wave of fear took hold of him. _If I black out now, they will kill me_. So he ran, pushing his way through the angels, running from his own people, that now looked on him with hatred and disgust. And as he ran, they started to sing that terrible song.

_Deception  
>Disgrace<br>Evil as plain as the eyes in his face._

_Deception (an outrage!)  
>Disgrace (for shame!)<br>He asked for trouble the moment he came._

_Deception (an outrage!) (he can't change his stripes!)  
>Disgrace (for shame!) (you know these Outsider types!)<br>He asked for trouble the moment he came. (See you later, agitator!)  
>Deception (an outrage!) (just leave us alone!)<br>Disgrace (for shame!) (Traitor, go back with your own!)  
>He asked for trouble the moment he came. (See you later, agitator!)<em>

_Caught by grief  
>Fueled by hate<br>Helpless to defy his fate  
>Let him run<br>Let him live  
>But do not forget what we cannot forgive<em>

_And he is not one of us  
>He has never been one of us<br>He is not part of us  
>Not our kind<em>

_Someone once lied to us  
>Now we're not so blind<br>For we knew that he would do what he's done  
>And we know that he'll never be one of us<em>

_He is not one of us..._

Aquila tripped, and fell from Heaven. It was only when the pain caused by the impact of hitting the ground showed itself that he allowed unconsciousness to claim him.

* * *

><p><strong>Aaaah poor Sebastian...please tell me what you think!<strong>


End file.
